


Somewhere Along The Way

by StormStrider (MugenYumeDansu)



Series: Along The Way... [1]
Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (2013), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: A hint of fluff, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College Life, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Revolving POVs, Roommates, Slow Build, Teenagers Have Issues, Very OOC, a dash of cuteness, more tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2016-03-16
Packaged: 2018-02-24 15:38:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2586806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MugenYumeDansu/pseuds/StormStrider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six young loners get stuck together when they start at Burgess University. It isn't long before they all start bonding with each other and become an inseparable group of friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue/Character Bios

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my 1st ROTBTFD fanfiction.  
> It is obviously AU modern college setting.
> 
> And I did things a little differently than usual. Instead of Elsa being one of the Big Five, she's a year older, and Anna is one of the Big Five instead. I have also played around with each character's style and taste in music. I will be putting the bios in with the prologue. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy! :)
> 
> ONWARD ===>

Character Bios

* * *

 

Jackson Overland Frost  
Age: 19  
Birthday: December 21st  
Hair: Brown/White  
Eyes: Blue  
Height: 5'9"  
Favorite Color: Dark Blue  
Favorite Music: Linkin Park  
Favorite Outfit: White v-neck undershirt dark blue hoodie with white trim, ripped Levi's, blue and white checkered Vans.

Random Fact: Has a tattoo of a snowflake on his left hip.

* * *

 

Henry "Hiccup" Haddock III  
Age: 18  
Birthday: January 2nd  
Hair: Auburn  
Eyes: Green  
Height: 5'7"  
Favorite Color: Hunter Green  
Favorite Music: Green Day  
Favorite Outfit: White long sleeve thermal t-shirt, dark green aviator jacket, black Polo jeans, black hightop sneakers.

Random Fact: Has several piercings. Right eyebrow, tongue, both ears twice.

* * *

 

Merida Dunbroch  
Age: 19  
Birthday: July 27th  
Hair: Bright Auburn  
Eyes: Light Blue-Green  
Height: 5'5"  
Favorite Color: Teal  
Favorite Music: Staind  
Favorite Outfit: Black tanktop, dark teal and grey striped sweater, black jeans, grey knee high converse.

Random Fact: Loves horror movies.

* * *

 

Rachel "Rapunzel" Corona  
Age: 18  
Birthday: February 4th  
Hair: Golden Blonde  
Eyes: Green  
Height: 5'0"  
Favorite Color: Purple  
Favorite Music: Blink 182  
Favorite Outfit: Dark purple tank top with a metallic gold sun graphic, lavender miniskirt, violet leggings, black sandals.

Random Fact: Is addicted to Manga.

* * *

 

Anna Arendelle  
Age: 18  
Birthday: March 16th  
Hair: Light Auburn-Brown  
Eyes: Light Blue  
Height: 5'2"  
Favorite Color: Spring Green  
Favorite Music: Panic! At The Disco  
Favorite Outfit: Bright green long sleeve shirt with pearlecent white heart buttons on the front, stone washed LEI skinny jeans, light grey suede ankle boots.

Random Fact: Likes to dye one strand of her hair different colors, depending on her mood.

* * *

 

Elsa Arendelle  
Age: 19  
Birthday: December 31st  
Hair: Platinum Blonde  
Eyes: Light Blue  
Height: 5'3"  
Favorite Color: Light Blue  
Favorite Music: Evanescence  
Favorite Outfit: White spaghetti strap sparkly top, robin's egg blue hooded sweater, dark blue LEI jeans, light grey and blue tennis shoes.

Random Fact: Likes fantasy novels.

* * *

 

_In the sleepy town of Burgess, there is a University that draws students from far and wide. It is here that six young loners will come to learn, and to strike out on their own into the adult world. It is here that they will find each other, form friendships, fall in love and discover themselves._


	2. Prologue/Character Bios

Dawn's light broke through the curtains, bright beams falling across the figure laying sprawled across the bed. They revealed a thick comforter hanging off the bed and puddled on the carpet at the bottom of the bed. A touseled head of platinum blonde hair trailed over the pillows. The bright light shined in at just the right angle...

To blind poor Elsa Arendelle as her blue eyes fluttered open. She hissed and brought a pale hand up to block out the light. She turned over and flopped on the plush pillows, stifling a yawn. Groaning, she threw the comforter aside, causing it to slide completely to the floor. She stared at it in contempt. Finally she reached over and dragged it back up onto the bed, leaving it for her exhuberant younger sister. Anna would no doubt be bursting in in a matter of moments anyway.

Before that could happen Elsa dragged herself over to her closet and gathered everything she needed for the shower. She slowly flipped through her clothes, selecting a pair of robin's egg blue leggings, a slightly darker blue tank top and a sky blue lacy sweater to go over it. She shuffled around in her underwear drawer, selecting a simple white match set and adding it to the pile draped over one arm. 

She headed for her door and slipped out into the hallway. The aroma of pancakes, bacon and citrus fruit wafted up the stairs, and Anna could be heard humming to herself. Elsa smiled and padded down the hall to the bathroom and slipped inside.

Twenty minutes later she stepped out, fully dressed, hair pulled back into her usual braid, and headed downstairs for her breakfast.

"Morning Elsa!" Anna chirped as soon as Elsa appeared in the kitchen doorway. She was smiling and fluttering around like usual. She was wearing her favorite green apron over a darker green long sleeve shirt and black skinny jeans. Her hair was pulled into its usually twin braids. As Elsa sat down at the small kitchen table Anna set a plate of delicious smelling pancakes in front of her. There was a small plate of bacon and a bowl of sliced grapefruit, oranges and apples sitting in the center of the table with a large pitcher of no doubt freshly squeezed orange juice. Elsa smiled, pleasure suffusing her at the sight.  
"Mmh, you're too good to me Anna." Elsa pur and reached for the bowl of fruit. Anna plopped down opposite her with her own plate, beaming.  
"I know." She said before digging in herself. They ate in pleasant silence. When they finished they both set their plates in the sink and put what was left of the food away before Anna headed upstairs to get her things.

Anna was moving into a dorm room at the University today. Elsa already had her own, she'd been in college for a year already. Anna was finally moving out of the nest. Anna and Elsa's parents weren't here today to help see their youngest off, even though they had both wanted to very badly. But they were both in England for a business trip for the company they worked for. They had promised to call later that day and check up on the girls. At first it had disappointed Anna, but she'd quickly recovered, like always.

Elsa ventured upstairs and began helping her sister lug boxes down to the foyer. Elsa shook her head when they were done, relalizing that there were so many boxes that both the spacious trunk and entire back seat of her lexus would be packed. She shrugged and began taking them out and packing them into her pearly white baby.

After everything was finally finagled into every available open space of her car, the girls locked up and set out for the University two towns over, in Burgess. As they pulled out of the driveway Anna chattered the way she usually did when she was excited. Elsa let her, smiling to herself as headed for the highway.


	3. Jack, Room 318

Jackson Overland Frost toed open his dorm room door, shuffling his way inside with the cardboard box he held. He dropped it unceremoniously onto the bed closest to him. He looked around at the room he'd be sharing with his as-yet unknown roomie.

The dorm room wasn't as small as he'd expected, having enough room for two twin sized beds on either side of the room, two medium sized writing desks against the wall between them with just enough room for them not to feel crowded, a couple of computer chairs next to the desks, a nice sized dresser/wardrobe at the end of each bed, and a small counter on each side with enough room for a microwave or a coffee pot, with a rather large mini fridge on either side of the door. The communal bathroom was down the hall.

All in all it wasn't as bad as Jack had expected. The door creaked open and North stepped inside carrying a the last couple boxes of Jack's things. He didn't have much, but everything he did have was well loved.

"Ah, so this is it?" North boomed, looking around before setting down the boxes he held on the bed Jack had claimed. 

"Yup. This is home for the next four years." The dark haired boy moved to the bed and began unpacking his things.

"Is nice. I like." The big man announced, hands on hips. He nodded a few times as he looked around. "Do you know who room mate will be yet?"

"Not a clue." Jack said, setting his blue desk lamp on the edge of the closest desk. He shuffled through the box and pulled out something swaddled in what looked like five pounds of tissue paper. He unwrapped it and sat a rather larger snow globe down on the table. A giant blue snowflake sat in the center of the globe, surrounded by bits of styrofoam and glitter, that were supposed to represent snow.

North took one look and smiled so wide Jack feared it would crack his face in two, but didn't comment. Instead he moved over and started helping Jack unpack, setting out everything on the bed so the boy could put everything where he liked. Jack let him, and started putting things away, in drawers, in the wardrobe, and on the single shelf set up above the bed.

Between them they had everything put away in less than an hour. The only thing left was to make the bed, and Jack would do that later with the large set of light blue sheets the North had bought Jack, insisting that he bring them with him to college.

Just as North was saying his goodbyes and getting ready to leave, the door opened and a scrawny boy tottered in under a rickety stack of boxes.

"Excuse me, but is this room 318?" The stack of boxes asked.

"Uh yeah, let me help you with that." Jack stepped forward and took the topmost box, setting it on tbe other bed. North reached down and picked up the rest of the boxes, depositing them next to the other. The boy, revealed to be a skinny kid around Jack's height, but a bit thinner, with chin length auburn hair and bright green eyes, shook his head and wobbled a bit at the sudden lifting of his burden.

"Oh, thanks... Uh..." The kid look up at North.

"Call me North, yes." The russian smiled brightly, taking the one of the boy's hands and shaking so vigorously that the kid looked like he was getting dizzy.

"Oh, uh, call me Hiccup." He muttered something under his breath that Jack thought sounded like "Everyone else does." He stepped around the huge man and stuck out his own hand to the bewildered kid.

"And I'm Jack. Jack Frost. You're new roommate." He flashed his most charming half-smile. Hiccup took his hand cautiously, but relaxed when Jack just shook normally. "Nice to meet you."

"You too..." Hiccup said slowly, slightly disarmed. Jack looked up at North.

"Hey North, weren't you supposed to go see Tiana and Aster before you leave?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. North's face lit up.

"Ah, you are very right Jack. I must go." The big man winked and took off, presumably to go visit with Jack's foster siblings. Aster was a grumpy australian boy, and Tiana was an Indian-American girl that had been taken in by North as well. Both were a year older than Jack.

Aster was an art student here on a football scholarship, and Tiana was studying psychology, which had shocked everyone, seeing as she obsessed so much over everyone in the foster family's teeth that they had all thought for sure she would go into dentistry.

Jack looked over at his new roommate. Hiccup was starting to unpack. Jack thought for a second about what he should do; try and extend the hand of friendship, or sit back and wait?

In the end he decided to attempt to befriend the kid. He kind of looked like he needed a friend.

"Hey, would you Like some help?"


	4. Hiccup, Room 318

Henry Haddock III shuffled around as the big guy with the russian accent left, and he was left alone with his new roommate, Jack Frost.

Seriously? That could not be the kid's real name. Right? Henry, or Hiccup, as everyone else tended to call him, started shuffling through his things, pulling out all his engineering textbooks and a couple sketchpads full of his designs and dumping them on his desk. He rummaged around, sorting out the few things he'd brought from home. He made a mental checklist and started checking things off as he located them.

"Hey, would you Like some help?" Hiccup looked up at his roommates offer. Hiccup almost refused, but something made him pause. Jack was looking a bit nervous, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. He looked like he was actually trying to be nice.

"Sure." Hiccup scooted over and made room for Jack to assist him. He heard the sigh of relief and then Jack was stepping up beside him and peeking into a box as he opened it. He reached in and started pulling out random things. 

"Where does this go?" He asked, holding up Hiccup's set of sketch pencils in their green case.

"Desk" Hiccup replied, staring on the box his clothes were in, putting them away in the big standing wardrobe at the foot of the bed.

"This?" Jack held up the little bedside lamp Hiccup had had since preschool. It had little silhouetted dragons all over it. Hiccup smiled and pointed at the desk. They continued that way, Jack holding something up and asking where it went and Hiccup either pointing or telling Jack where to put it until Jack found the little stuffed dragon Astrid had given him as a graduation present.

"Dude, you have a stuffed dragon..." The taller boy mumbled, pulling Stormfly out of the bottom of the box.

"Gimme that!" Hiccup blushed bright red and snatched the stuffed animal away, holding it to his chest.

"Whoa, don't take my fingers with it." Jack joked, then made a show of counting his fingers to make sure they were intact. "Its not like I'm gonna make fun of ya, dude, just thought it looked cool."

Hiccup looked up at him then, confusion and relief mingling in him.

"Really?" His brows furrowed as he studied Jack's face, preparing for some snide comment. Jack just shrugged.

"What's to make fun of?" He asked seriously.

"Uh," was Hiccup's highly intelligent answer.

"Hey, when we're done you want to go get something to eat? I'm starving!" Jack laughed. Hiccup brightened a little bit. Jack wasn't going to make fun of him, and he was actually being...nice. That was something novel to Hiccup. Nobody back in Berk had even attempted to be nice to him except Astrid. And that was only after he'd gotten into the accident that had nearly cost him his leg. Hiccup wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"Uh, sure, I guess." He still felt completely bewildered, but he decided he'd go with the flow and see what happened. He might actually make a friend. And on his first day in college! He went back to unpacking, and after a few minutes he had everything put away and was ready to go. 

He grabbed the dark green jacket he'd thrown over his desk chair and he and Jack headed down to the cafeteria.


	5. Anna, Room 168

Anna was exhausted...  
She and Elsa had been lugging all of her belongings up two flights of stairs and to the end of the hall for the last half hour. She hadn't even been able to unpack anything yet! Anna sighed and dropped the last box on the floor beside her overcrowded bed. Elsa set down the one she held and pulled out one of the computer chairs and sat down. Anna huffed. Didn't anything ever phase her!

"Aren't you exhausted?" She asked, sounding a bit whiny. She crossed her arms and plopped down in the other chair.

"Of course I am." Elsa said simply.

"You sure don't show it." Anna pouted. Elsa just laughed at her sister.

"I told you not to bring so much. I'll be very surprised if you have enough room on your side." Elsa rolled her chair over and started opening boxes.

Anna reluctantly followed. They began unpacking all of Anna's things. The desk was covered in random things in just a few minutes. She started opening up drawers and putting her writing and other school supplies away, clearing half the desk before they started on the next few boxes. All her desk accessories came next, then her make-up, and then her figurines and stuffed animals. So it went for quite a while.

When they got to the boxes with her clothes and shoes Elsa gave Anna a stern look, but helped her unpack all of them and put them away in the dresser and wardrobe. Anna and Elsa set up her coffee maker and microwave on the counter by her mini fridge, and her set of pristine white dishes and silverware in the single cupboard and drawer.

When both girls were satisfied that everything was in its place, the clothes put away, bed made up in Anna light green and brown sheets, and all the boxes disposed of down the garbage chute in the hall, they headed out to pick up some groceries for Anna.

They passed a girl with a riot of bright red curls trying to wrangle three identical little boys, with the same bright red hair in the hall. Anna cringed and sent up a little prayer for the girl.


	6. Merida, Room 161

Merida sighed, yet again missing one of her brothers by a hair. The triplets were currently doing a wonderful job of being a set of boots and a wriggling scarf.

"Boys! Enough!" She cried as Hubert bounced on her shoulders painfully again. She really loved her siblings, but sometimes they were more than a handful for the 19-year-old to deal with. Especially with a heavy box of things for her dorm room.

Merida turned as their father rounded the corner. Relief settled over her as the 'Terrible Terrors,' as they had been deemed by Merida's cousin Astrid, detached from her and immediately swarmed their Da.

"Boys, have ye been botherin' yer sister again?" The old scot admonished playfully. The three seemed to deflate, but only by a fraction.

Merida smiled and continued down the hallway towards room 161. She deposited the last box on her bed with the other 3 and turned to her family, wrestling in the doorway.

'A'right Da, ye can tell Mum ye helped me set evr'thin' up jus' right. I won' tell if ye don'. Now go get these boys somethin ta eat an' get yerselves home, a'right?" She told her Da firmly. He only smiled and nodded, moving forward to hug her tightly. The triplets hugged her legs, her family embracing her for the last time in a long while. Her father pulled away, tears shining in his eyes, but the big scot wouldn't cry. Not in front of anyone anyhow.

"Love ye, mah little Spitfire. Don' ferget ta write." He told her. She promised him she would, got one last hug from her brothers, and then the foursome left, leaving her to unpack alone. 

Her father had known exactly why she hadn't really wanted her family to stay. He had done her a favor by going. As it was Merida barely made it through putting all her family photos up on her desk, making her bed in the hand stitched embroidered pillows Nanna had given her, and the hand sewn quilt her Mum had made, and setting up the three stuffed bears her brothers had given her to remember them by while she was away, without breaking down and crying.

She pulled it together though, and finished unpacking her clothes and her prized Bow, which got set on a display shelf hung above her bed with extreme care, before finally being finished. She brusshed herself off and stood, hands on hips, surveying her handiwork. Satisfied, Merida decided it was definitely time for a snack. She grabbed her wallet and headed out the door for the cafeteria. Maybe some crisps and a pop would hit the spot.

She happened to pass the same blonde and auburn haired girls that had gone by while she was wrestling her brothers. She smiled at them, and both girls smiled back, the darker haired one even waving at her.


	7. Rapunzel, Room 161

Rapunzel slung her golden hair over her shoulder and glanced down at the slip of paper in her hand. This seemed to be the room. Room 161.

She sat down her box and opened the door. She nudged the box inside and stepped in. One half of the room was already occupied, it seemed. There was a worn, but well cared for quilt covering the bed, and a few knick knacks. But what caught Rapunzel's attention the most was the beautiful bow hung on a display rack above the bed.

So her roomie was an archer. Interesting, she thought. She turned her attention back to her own things. The bare side of the room was hers. Time to get to work.

She lugged her box onto the bed and dropped her satchel next to it. Then she headed back out to get the rest of her things from her car. She didn't have much, so it didn't take her long to get her stuff moved in and unpacked.

She was just finishing making her bed up with her lavender sheets and bedspread, when her apparent roommate came back.

The flaming redhead that walked through the door was a bit of a shock to the shy girl. Rapunzel smiled, though, and waved.

"Aye, ye'll be my roommate then." The redhead stated, her scottish accent heavy. Rapunzel nodded.

"A'right then. I'm Merida." The girl introduced herself, smiling wide. She sat her bag of chips and canned soda on her desk and held out a hand to Rapunzel.

"I'm Rachel. Rachel Corona. But my friends call me Rapunzel." The blonde smiled back, shaking Merida's hand. "It's wonderful to meet you Merida. I hope we can be good friends." 

The blonde's shyness melted away, and she felt optimism settling over her.

"Aye, me too, Rapunzel." Merida grinned. "Would ye like some help with the rest a yer things?"

"Sure! Thank you." Rapunzel turned and started unpacking her last box. It was all of her art supplies.

"Ye an artist?" Merida asked, taking the paint set Rapunzel handed her and sitting it on the desk.

"Mhhm. Yeah, painting and sketching, mostly. What about you? Are you artistically inclined?" Rapunzel asked, pulling more supplies from the box.

"Nah, no' even a wee bit. Never could get inta all that. Ah'm more of an action lass. Dinna really have time fer all tha' stuff." 

Rapunzel regarded her new friend for a second.

"Yeah, I can see that." She giggled. Merida smiled and laughed along.

The two girls kept up a companionable chat while they finished up, eventually just sitting and talking after. Learning a bit more about each other. Rapunzel asked about Merida's archery, and about her home, and Merida asked about Rapunzel's art, and her family. When the two both decided to head to bed, it was quite late.

Despite being in a new place with strangers, both girls felt at ease enough to fall asleep easily. And both were happy to have found a new friend in each other.


	8. The First Week is the Hardest...

Jack was lost. He had been looking for his second class of the day, Art History. It was supposed to be in the West building, but for the life of him, be couldn't find it. He was somewhere in the bowls of the West building with no hope of finding a way out.

It was about then that a tiny blonde streaked past him, abnormally longer hair flying behind her.

"Pardon me, I'm going to be late!" She cried, nearly colliding with a display case. A text book fell from her arms as she swerved.

"Crap!" She stuttered to a halt and turned to retrieve it. Jack got there first, picking up the boom that was practically identical to the one he carried.

"Oh, you're in Art History too?" He asked as the blonde reached him.

"Yes, I am. Thank you." She beamed at him and took back her book.

"Oh. Uh, would you mind showing me where it is? I got kind of lost." He flushed and rubbed the back of his neck. The girl's big green eyes lit up.

"Sure! It is a little confusing in here. By the way I'm Rapunzel." She started walking again.

"I'm Jack." He smiled and followed. They chatted a little about Art History on their way.

And they were both a little late, but their professor didn't seem to mind, he just smiled, welcomed them and gestured for them to have a seat.

* * *

 

Hiccup could not believe it. He hadn't expected to run into anybody he knew here, so many miles from home, but there she was, flaming red hair like a banner, dressed in her gray and teal striped sweater.

She was standing in line at the library, with an arm load of books. He had come in here looking for something to read, and almost run smack into the kid in front of him when he'd seen her.

"Merida!" He called. Her head turned and she spotted him.

"Oi, Hiccup!" She waved him over. He went to join her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Wha' are ye doin' 'ere?" They asked at the same time. Then they both laughed. Merida answered first.

"Mah Mum's cousin went ta school 'ere. Said it was a good place. Plus it's far enough away from 'ome that Mum could'na check up on me all tha time. Ye?"

"Hehe, yeah they have a great engineering program. And pretty much the same. Dad's a little overbearing sometimes, ya know. I thought maybe this would give me a chance to get out on my own and figure out where I'm going, without any parental interference."

Merida 'hmm'ed and nodded.

"I get ya there. It feels like they're  suffocatin' sometimes." They both laughed. The line was moving and Merida was next. She dropped her  books on the desk and produced her student ID. The librarian went about her business checking Merida's books into her name.

"So what are you studying?" Hiccup asked as the librarian handed Merida's books to her. She thanked the lady and turned back to Hiccup.

"No' a whole lot. Mostly gen'ral stuff, at least 'til I can figure out what I want ta do."

"Oh, that's good. Have you thought about..." Their conversation went on as the two found a table and sat down to chat.

* * *

 

Anna didn't know what to do with herself. She was at a loss. 

Her roommate was out at the moment with her boyfriend, so Anna was all alone in her dorm, attempting to find something to do. She'd already been to class, and finished all of her assignments, and now she was... Lonely.


End file.
